The present invention relates generally to the use of a quick-set hydraulic coupler to connect and disconnect fluid or gas lines in equipment within the agricultural, trucking, or tractor-trailer field. More particularly, the present invention relates to such hydraulic coupler systems having a female sleeve encircled with balls retractable into and extendable out of a housing, and specifically on such systems using a lever to extend the sleeve.
Connectors for fluid lines and the like are typically of the telescoping type. Such a design utilizes inner and outer telescoping members in which the inner telescoping member sealingly fits within an opening of the outer telescoping member to create a tightly sealed fit. This connection is held in retention by means of several spaced, metal balls which project through the wall of the aperture of the outer telescoping member, to fit into an outer circumferential groove of the inner member for retention thereof. The balls are held in their inwardly projecting, retaining position by an outer sleeve positioned on the outer member which presses the balls inwardly. To couple and decouple the connector, the outer sleeve is axially displaced to free the balls so that they may retract outwardly, in which position the inner telescoping member may slide into or out of the outer member.
Manually connecting and disconnecting such a coupler system creates several difficulties. Most important of these is the time and effort needed to connect the lines. Interconnecting the coupling parts requires that the worker exert a force on the female coupling member towards the male coupling member and while maintaining this force, apply a force to the sleeve in the opposite direction to free the metal balls so that the male member may slide into and out of the female member. This third step may require a third hand if the members are too big for a single person to connect. A second person may also be needed in the event that the equipment needs to be operated in the rain or when the equipment is oily and too slippery to grasp by a single person.
An advancement in such telescoping type connectors if found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,085, issued Dec. 20, 1994 which describes a locking device for fluid coupling. The purpose of this patent is to permit a conventional quick disconnect fluid coupling to be rendered more secure by a simple mechanical locking device. The locking device comprises upper and lower half shells that in turn define first and second axially spaced annular abutment surfaces. The first surface is adapted to engage the flange on the fluid coupling component carrying the release collar, and the second surface is adapted to engage the release collar itself. These half shells are held in place by means of one or more threaded fasteners. Although this device utilizing a locking collar does not solve the problem associated with the inadvertent release of such couplers, it unfortunately creates a few new problems. Such a locking collar tends to keep the two members connected when their break-away feature is most needed. Quick connect couplers typically have a safety feature that allows the connection to break-away during excessive axial loading. This prevents accidental damage upon both the supply equipment and the equipment receiving the fluid. A locking collar of this type may prevent the safety break-away and cause undesirable and unnecessary damage.
Attempts to solve the problems associated with manually connecting and disconnecting such couplers have fallen upon the use of levers to extend the female coupler so as to enable an attachment to its male counterpart. One such attempt was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,586, issued Dec. 18, 1973 on a hose coupling connect and disconnect mechanism. This patent makes it possible to easily effect a connection between hydraulic male and female members by the use of an actuator forming a part of the female member such that in grasping the lever elements of the actuator the female member is also being held for positioning relative to the male member. This requires the use of only one hand for holding the female coupling member and moving the locking sleeve. Although this does decrease the amount of time and effort needed to effect a connection, it still requires a certain amount of skill and patience. Both members are maneuvered by hand and need to be aligned correctly for attachment.
In order to prevent this problem of having to handle both members, there has been an effort in the art to develop a structure whereby one of these members is mounted onto a stable environment and only the other member needs to be maneuvered by hand for correct alignment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,239, issued Jun. 29, 1976 describes a release for break-away coupling that attempts to do just that. A bracket is provided which is mounted on the supply source vehicle. A coupling is mounted on the bracket with a hinge collar, and on the coupling is a spacer sleeve having a radial flange which slidably moves the housing of the socket section. A lever is positioned on the hinge collar, and when its pivoted about its fulcrum it biases the spacer sleeve to position the coupling in a disengaging position.
Another attempt to mount one of the members was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,754, issued Jun. 4, 1968. In this patent for a hose coupling connect and disconnect mechanism, a coupling is supported on the tractor by a member engaging the sleeve and the female coupling half and pivotally supported for swinging movement. A level is mounted on the sleeve-engaging member for displacing the female coupling half relative to its sleeve in order to facilitate coupling or uncoupling the male coupling half.
The combination of mounting the female member and biasing it for coupling and uncoupling by the use of a lever have been shown in the last two patents as a competent solution to some of the aforementioned problems with hydraulic couplers. However, such design structure as illustrated in this art has provided a somewhat awkward solution. These previous designs limit the positioning of the lever as they are only compatible with limited equipment, and at times place the lever in a position that may become difficult to reach by a worker or be inadvertently engaged.
In view of the aforementioned needs and the shortcomings of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that overcomes the deficiencies of the current practices whereby a device is provided to quickly connect and disconnect a hydraulic coupler with minimal time and effort.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a quick set hydraulic coupler utilizing a level which is positioned so that inadvertent actuation is minimized while still possessing the break away feature of common couplers.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a quick set hydraulic coupler whereby the female member is mounted and in engagement with a lever so as to more easily align the male member for connection.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a structural design of a quick set hydraulic coupler which utilizes a lever that is compatible and able to be added to equipment within the agricultural, trucking or tractor trailer fields.
It is yet another object of the present invention is to provide a quick set hydraulic coupler capable of using a single lever and pivot point to actuate two female couplings.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the detailed description.